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A complete guide to measuring app performance with actionable mobile app metrics

Have you created an app from your website? If the answer is a yes, is it time to sit back and coast? Unfortunately, you can’t do that if you want your app to be successful.

Mobile app development takes time, effort, and money. If you let it go, you will not get a good return for your investment.

You can’t stop working even after your app has been launched. You will need to perform regular maintenance on it. You will also need to be realistic as it does not mean that it is the best possible version.

You must always strive to make improvements. The best way to do this is to track different mobile app metrics to see how your app is performing.

If, for example, your app takes time to load, constantly experiences glitches, or crashes, it is going to impact the overall user experience and ultimately affect your bottom line. Therefore, measuring the performance of your mobile app is also unquestionably necessary.

This guide is perfect if you have just launched an app or are in the pre-launch phase of development. Also, if you are unsure what you should be tracking, here are the four main types of metrics that you should follow: user engagement, consumer satisfaction, customer acquisition, app performance. Let’s understand them in detail:

Overview

  1. User engagement metrics
  1. Customer satisfaction metrics
  1. Customer acquisition metrics
  1. App performance metrics

User engagement metrics

1. Number of downloads

Increasing or decreasing number of downloads indicates how your app is performing. Each time a user installs your app, it counts towards your download rate.

If you are getting thousands of daily downloads, it simply means that people are responding good to your brand and marketing strategy. However, if you are not, you will need to re-evaluate your marketing campaign.

To improve the number of downloads, make sure your app is optimized for the app stores (Google Play Store and App Store). Focus on branding like your app’s name, description, keywords, and app icon. Understand the different algorithms of both app stores.

If, for example, your app is available on Google Play and App Store, make sure you check the number of downloads for each platform. If you are getting a high number of downloads in one store, it does not mean you will get the same success on another.

2. Active users

Active user base is not the same as your download rate. If people are installing your app on their mobile devices, it does not mean that they will be using it.

Figure out how many people are active on a daily basis and how many of them are active monthly.

While there are a few different ways by which you can improve the number of active users, but sending out push notifications about your app will get their attention.

If, for example, you are selling something, offering a daily deal or weekly promotion will encourage people to open up and use your app actively.

Instead of getting monthly active users, target your daily active users first.

3. Session intervals

Session intervals of the app simply shows the time between each user session. However, it is not the same as daily or monthly active users.

Session interval metrics will break down your active users even further. For example, – Do app users open your app every hour?

Short intervals work the best. This means active users are not opening up your app for long. Making your app a part of their daily routine is the best way to improve this number.

Think of how often you open your email or social media apps in a day. You just need to make a strong connection with your users, and measuring the session intervals will help you with this approach.

Customer satisfaction metrics

4. Average usage time

The average usage time of the app splits up the session intervals. This metric measures how long each usage session lasts. For example: Does the user open the app for one or ten seconds and then close it? Alternatively, does the session last for ten minutes?

Interestingly, the size of the user’s mobile screen impacts how long each session lasts for. That’s because bigger screens simply turn into longer average usage times if users are playing games. If you are calculating this metric, you really need to understand this.

With this metric system in mind, you can discover the number of screens the user is viewing during each session. If it is less in numbers, design your app in such a way that it encourages users to navigate to more screens. Also, making sure that the design of the app is not too exhausting, eventually deterring the user experience.

Users tend to engage in apps where they can view lots of app screens and are able to spend a longer time.

5. Churn rates

The churn rate measures the percentage of users who have stopped using your app.

Your most active users are the most profitable users. If they become part of this group, the success of your app can come to a halt. But this is not the case with low-value users if they abruptly stop using your app.

The higher the churn rate, the lesser the revenue stream will be. To improve churn rates, you should get to the root of the issue.

Sending them an email, push notification, SMS, or asking them about their experience will probably give them an offer to try to welcome them back.

6. Your ranking in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

The ranking of your app impacts your download rates too. If the ranking is lower, it is important that you regulate a strategy that we have discussed earlier in the post.

To improve your search ranking, you can look for ways to optimize your app on app stores (Android and iOS). Once the ranking is back, your app downloads will increase too.

While the majority of apps are downloaded from general browsing in the app stores, you will also need to increase your app’s discoverability.

A high search ranking increases the chances of users finding you during general browsing.

7. Abandonment rates

Abandonment rates are not the same as churn rates.

If users install your app on their mobile device but never use it or sign up, your app gets abandoned. The best way to decrease the abandoned rate is by analysing your introduction phase and sign up process.

If a user downloads an app but doesn’t use it, you must know the reason.

Asking too much personal information just to navigate within the app can be the first reason for increasing abandonment rates. You need to return to the board and fix your sign-up process if you notice that your abandonment rates are higher than usual.

8. Conversion rates

You can make money from your app, too. You just need to optimize at your conversion strategy.

Generate revenue from in-app purchases, subscriptions, and shopping carts in the app. You only need to make these steps as simple as possible for the user.

If users, for example, have to navigate more pages, to get relevant information, it increases the odds that they will abandon the conversion process.

With this in mind, check each step in the sequence of your initial acquisition to the final conversion. With a thorough analysis of these steps, you will know which phase of the conversion funnel is experiencing the most abandonments.

Once you fix the steps in the sequence, you will definitely see your conversion rates improve.

Customer acquisition metrics

customer acquisition

9. Attribution sources

Determine exactly where your users are coming from. It will help you figure out which marketing campaigns are going to be successful and which ones are not.

If you do not want to dump your money into sources that are not translating to downloads, just try using a service like ‘Adjust’, it will help you measure this. This is easy to use, and their reports about your attribution sources are beneficial for positioning your app.

10. Viral success

Users are discovering your app because it gets viral. That would be an ideal situation, right?

Viral success is not the same as an attribution source. It is difficult to quantify a viral campaign into a dollar figure. It is generally for the people who download your app because of the word of mouth or its “virality”.

By determining how many new users visit your app, you can measure your viral success.

The best way to do this is to improve this number by making your app something easy to connect to users.

If users can easily interact with their connections via your platform, it will increase the possibilities that they will want to spread the word about your brand app.

11. Acquisition cost

This acquisition cost is calculated by taking the amount of spends required to acquire new customers and then dividing it by the number of acquisitions. The computed number tells you how much you have spent on each download.

Try to reduce this number to be as low as possible. Because if this number soars, it can drain your bank account if you are not careful.

Acquisition costs are unavoidable even if you have got overnight viral success.

To keep this cost low, you need to plan your budget accordingly. Measuring your attribution sources helps in lowering down this cost. You can even avoid using those channels that are not resulting in app downloads.

App performance metrics

12. Number of crashes

When your app stops performing, crashes occur as a result.

This metric measures how often your app crashes down when the app is being used. A high number of crashes could be the reason for a high churn rate or abandonment rate. It becomes necessary that you classify the source of these crashes as soon as possible.

To reduce the number of crashes, you need to maintain your app to figure out any bugs. Beta testing is one of the preventative measures against crashes. It helps you see issues with the app before it gets launched on the relevant app stores.

Coming up with new app updates also helps you minimize crashes.

13. Latency

Latency is a time interval between the stimulation and response from API. This time the interval should be as fast as possible. However, you can term it as speed.

Latency measures how long it takes for a button to get pressed. Assure that your app works across multiple platforms without affecting latency.

14. Speed

Speed of the app measures how fast it loads and runs on any mobile device. If your app is not running quickly, it will result in poor user experience. Therefore, always try and improve your app loading and running speed.

The best way to do this is to test your app’s loading speed regularly. You can even use available online tools to measure the performance of your app.

15. Network problems

Network issues affect both the speed of the app and its latency. These errors also include HTTP errors, whenever any user is trying to connect to the network.

If, for example, this error occurs, it will be caused due to the app crash. Your app needs to have good caching to avoid this type of error. Also, your app should not be cent percent dependent on the network. Else, anytime if there is a network issue, your app will have to suffer, as a result.

16. Support time

Measure the support time to improve your users’ experience. Find the answer to critical questions like:

  a. How long do you take to respond to customers’ requests?
  b. What is your response time when a customer gives you feedback or has an inquiry?

Assure that your customer service process has great support time numbers. You need to look at your availability times and methods of contact. Furthermore, you also need to evaluate the quality of your customer service after you have initiated the support. This will help in keeping your users happy, and they will continue using your app.

17. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Similar to viral success, your net promoter score also measures the chances that a user will refer your app to someone in the family or friends.

You can simply ask your users directly to figure out. The best way to measure this is to use a ranking scale.

Prioritizing user connections as part of your essential app functions helps keeping this score high.

18. Retention Rates

Encouraging people to download your app is only half of the battle. You really want them to use your app to be successful.

Measuring your retention rates helps you understand how many users come back to the app after their first use. It is easier to retain users than to acquire new ones. Therefore, if you already have a significant number of active users, simply shift your focus to retention instead of acquisition. This is also a less expensive strategy to achieve this.

19. Event Tracking

Event tracking analyses the in-app experience of each user using your app. This helps you quickly identify what your users are doing when they are using the app.

Unlike session intervals and average usage time, this metric is more in-depth. This helps you see what buttons they click on each screen of the app.

Track unique events that give you actionable data to improve your app’s performance with each update.

20. Reviews

User reviews impact app downloads. That is because when users find your app in the store, they will first turn to look at the comments to see if other people enjoy their experience. Therefore, if you see a negative review, take those comments seriously.

Take a chance if you can improve the user experience based on those poor reviews. However, if you ignore these comments, it will not only turn people away from downloading your app, but it could also impact your churn rates.

Additionally, it is always a good idea to respond to all reviews, especially the negative ones.

21. Users feedback

Users’ feedback is different from reviews to some extent. Their feedback is only for you to improve, not for public display.

Sending a push notification to your users prompts them to give feedback or suggestions. Although the public is unable to see this information in the app store, you still need to take these comments seriously. Ensure you make adjustments to improve your app.

22. App loading per period

If your app handles lots of transactions at the same time, it can impact your app loading period.

With lots of events occurring at once, the performance of your app suffers. This usually happens when lots of users are using your app simultaneously. It happens when you are running a special promotion, discount, offer, or perhaps your app is getting more popular.

Regardless of the reason, do not get slowed down because of the UI of the app.

23. Revenue

You must have created an app via a mobile app builder, not just to be in the league, but also to make money. In that sense, you need to measure your app revenue to see if you are tasting success.

To discover how much revenue is enough to get successful, you will need to set realistic goals. These goals can be comprised of the amount of revenue you want to make in the next three months, six months, or the following year.

See if your current daily, weekly, and monthly revenue streams are on track, to reach your goals. However, if they are not, then you can start in-app purchases, run advertisements, and subscriptions, and see which strategy is boosting conversions and bringing the highest revenue. Focus on that the most.

Ultimately, you do not need all of those revenue streams if they are not all profitable.

24. Average Order Value (AOV)

The average order value (AOV) measures how much money has been spent by each user in the app. Although not every user spends money, this metric helps you track the AOV of each paying user. You can eliminate each user who is not generating revenue to calculate this metric.

If there is a difference between your actual AOV and AOV of the paying users, it shows that the majority of your users are not spending money.

Try finding some ways to get the non-paying users to convert to spend some money.

25. Lifetime value

The lifetime value of a customer is – the total amount of money a customer is expected to spend in your business, or on your products, during their lifetime. It is calculated as:

CLV = A X T

CLV – Customer Lifetime Value
A – Annual Customer Value
T – Subscriber Plan

You should also evaluate how much you expect from each user to make, before they stop using the app.

Always keep your customer acquisition costs in mind. You must know how many of your customers should use your app to make profits.

If, for example, customer acquisition costs are higher than the lifetime value of a user, you will lose money. Therefore, focus on getting money from your existing users and try to extend their lifetime usage.

Making your app part of their daily routine will help you minimize their churning rates, and in that way, it will become profitable.

The ending notes

Creating an app is no more a difficult feat. You can build your app via AppMySite WooCommerce mobile app builder with a few clicks. But do not stop working hard even if you have launched your app on the relevant app stores.

If you want to be successful, you need to continue spending time, effort, and money and strive to make improvements.

Measure your success by tracking the above-listed metrics and take action to improve those numbers. These metrics are related to user engagement, customer satisfaction, acquisition, and app performance. Follow them to get started.

You need to track, evaluate, and make adjustments for further improvements.

Let us know in the comments section about the steps you are taking to improve the metrics that you may be currently tracking.

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